Gone are the days when social media was purely a way to keep in touch with your old college mates or keep an eye on what your ex was up to (go on, admit it).
Today, social media is much more than that: it’s a powerful marketing tool that any business, big or small, should harness to become more successful.
Social media marketing is gaining more and more traction and rapidly establishing itself as a staple of any effective marketing strategy.
But how can you nail your social media marketing? It all starts with creating an awesome profile on social media networks.
Lucky for you, our guide tells you exactly how to achieve this.
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How Important Is a Social Media Profile?
On a scale of one to ten? Let’s say, 100.
As a business, having a great social media profile is paramount. There are many reasons for that, but here’s our top three:
Relationships
They help you build and nurture authentic relationships both with other businesses and with potential (or established) customers.
Awareness
They help you get more exposure to your brand and promote your products or services to the right audience.
Engagement
They allow you to reach out to — and engage with — the right audience.
6 Tips on How to Create the Best Social Media Profile
So, how do you go about creating THE best social media profile to pique your audience’s interests — and never let it go?
Let’s take a look at six of our favorite tips.
1. It’s All in the Name…
First things first: you need to choose a name for your social media profile.
This doesn’t need to be convoluted or overly thought-out: in social media marketing, often, less is more.
After all, social media users are well known for having very little time on their hands (their average attention span is only eight seconds, and is only going to drop even further).
Because of that, you’ll need a name that’s unique, easy, and memorable enough to attract your audience’s attention.
Yes, you could simply opt for your brand’s name, which works if you are a fairly well-established business.
But what if you have just started out on your new business venture?
In that case, you might want to think about adding a few keywords to your name that best define:
- What your brand is all about.
- What you do/sell.
- What type of customers you are looking to attract.
Example
All this may sound like a lot, so let’s have a look at what some other brands have already done.
The UK brand WEDOYOGA, for example, has nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram and a very clear, very impactful name: WEDOYOGA | Yoga Shop + Studio.
Even if you didn’t know about these guys, just by reading their Instagram name you would instantly understand what they are all about: a company that runs in-studio yoga classes and sells yoga-related products.
But what if your business has a bit more of an “obscure” name?
Let’s take the example of Helloshibe. Taken on its own, this name might not mean much to you. Who are they? What do they sell? Would you be interested in them?
These guys probably knew it, too, which is why they added “Handmade Pet Accessories” to their Instagram profile name.
And hey, presto! The mystery is solved: this is a company that handcrafts accessories for our little furry friends.
2. …But an Image Speaks a Thousand Words!
We are talking about your profile photo, of course.
This is another super-important element of a great social media profile, as people tend to be more attracted to images than to words (and they generally remember them better, too).
There are a few factors to bear in mind when selecting an image for your social media profile:
Original
You’ll want your image to be 100% original, which means that you should either take the photo yourself or engage a professional photographer to do that.
Steer clear of stock images or — even worse — images that other brands are using and that are likely to fall under their copyrights.
Professional
You’ll need your image to be high-resolution and optimized for the specific social media platform that you are using.
Consistent
You’ll want to use the same image across all of your social media profiles to ensure consistency with your brand’s visual identity and provide a sense of trust and credibility.
3. Let’s Talk About Yourself
AKA: you’ve got to nail that bio!
The bio is a (very) short paragraph that usually comes straight after your social media profile name, and which allows users to understand a bit more about your brand and your products/services.
Just as you did when you chose your profile name, you’ll want to craft a bio that is straightforward, easy-to-read, and captivating.
Some social media platforms allow for a bit more space when putting together your bio, like LinkedIn, for example.
Others, like Twitter and Instagram, require you to stick to a very limited number of characters, which can make it a bit trickier to fit everything in without leaving out anything that you consider important.
As a rule of thumb, remember the three “Is” of social media bios:
Informative
Include some essential information on your company, such as your website and opening hours.
Imaginative
Don’t write a dull, off-the-shelf description. Be bold and creative, and use metaphors and puns if they work.
Inviting
Entice your audience to check your brand out by capturing their interest and creating an inviting CTA.
4. Create, Schedule, Post, Engage, Repeat
Right, now that you have sorted out your profile name, image, and bio, you are finally ready to post some awesome content.
Creative, informative, and compelling content is vital to help you boost the effectiveness of your social media profile.
For this reason, you’ll need a good strategy for your content creation, which includes:
Creating
Put together some catchy, compelling, and creative social media posts that include professional images, a CTA for your audience, and even links to your products or services.
Scheduling
Either manually or by using automated software, schedule your posts for specific dates in the future.
Your followers will expect to see some consistency and regularity from you, so scheduling in advance is very important.
Posting
Publish your posts on the desired dates, and start tracking and measuring their success.
Engaging
Keep the conversation going by exchanging comments and messages with your followers, answering their questions, and encouraging them to interact with your brand through fun challenges, quizzes, promos, polls, games, and more.
5. Authenticity Is the Name of the Game
Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are abuzz with fun and cool filters, yet the brands that truly go straight to their customers’ hearts are those that present their authentic, unfiltered faces.
This becomes even more crucial if your company operates in a sector like fitness, skincare, life coaching, or self-improvement.
Social media users are sick and tired of seeing content that feels forced, unattainable, and unrealistic.
They crave connections with brands that demonstrate empathy, embrace sustainability, and value honesty and the beautiful imperfections of being human.
So, on your social media profile, don’t just show off your best face: show your AUTHENTIC one.
6. Use Hashtags Wisely
We couldn’t write a blog about social media profiles without mentioning the topic of hashtags, right?
Well, as you probably know, hashtags on social media — particularly on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook — are a great way to jump in on trending topics and conversations that allow you to get your brand known.
However, this shouldn’t be a free pass to overuse ALL the popular hashtags that you come across. Remember: relevancy and focus are key to social media.
You simply can’t — or shouldn’t — reach every single social media user out there, so why should you use hashtags or engage in conversations that are completely irrelevant to your brand and your audience?
This will only be a waste of time, and a sure-fire way to sabotage your brand’s credibility and professionalism.
If you want to use hashtags in your posts, stories, or even in your social media profile bio, then always make sure that they are 100% truthful to YOUR brand, and that they work to help you highlight your true brand essence.
Wrap Up: Ready to Supercharge Your Social Media Presence?
Creating a great social media profile is the first step to achieving consistent success both on and off social media platforms.
By following our expert tips, you will soon see your brand awareness explode, your engagement rates soar, and your profits skyrocket as a result.
Remember: an awesome social media profile is always the masterful combination of both written AND visual content.
Would you like to learn more about how to incorporate great visual content into your social media pages? Just read our blog!
